Striking a blow against fascism with commentary on current events, finance, economics, politics, music, art, culture and how to deal with our economic lives being bartered away by the elites who have our financial future all figured out: We'll be paying off their debts forever.

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"We Americans are the ultimate innocents. We are forever desperate to believe that this time the government is telling us the truth." - Sydney Schanberg

"The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft, / And gathering swallows twitter in the skies." - John Keats

"It is not necessary that you leave the house. Remain at your table and listen ... The world will present itself to you for its unmasking." - Franz Kafka

"“We of the craft are all crazy,” wrote Lord Byron about himself and his fellow poets. “Some are affected by gaiety, others by melancholy, but all are more or less touched.”"

"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." - Albert Einstein

"In my lifetime we've gone from Eisenhower to George W. Bush. If this is evolution, I believe within twelve years we'll be voting for plants." - Lewis Black

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." – George Orwell

Senator Frank Church in 1975 chaired the Senate Hearings on the FBI’s Cointelpro operation, which spied upon and attempted to infiltrate, disrupt and discredit the peace movement. . . "if a dictator ever took over, (the NSA) could enable to impose total tyranny, and there would be no way to fight back. . . . That capability at any time could be turned around on the American people, and no American would have any privacy left, such is the capability to monitor everything: telephone conversations, telegrams, it doesn’t matter. There would be no place to hide. . . . I don’t want to see this country ever go across the bridge. I know the capacity that is there to make tyranny total in America, and we must see to it that this agency and all agencies that possess this technology operate within the law and under proper supervision, so that we never cross over that abyss. That is the abyss from which there is no return."

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Conservative Animus

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Conservatism is the theoretical voice of this animus against the agency of the subordinate classes. It provides the most consistent and profound argument as to why the lower orders should not be allowed to exercise their independent will, why they should not be allowed to govern themselves or the polity. Submission is their first duty, agency, the prerogative of the elite.

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Politicus USA on GOP Fascism

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The entire GOP apparatus is slipping toward fascism and millions of Americans have been indoctrinated to believe that the Bible none of them have read takes precedence over the Constitution none of them have read.

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Ukraine Disinformation Battle: Little Green Men, Hamsters and the Fog of War

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There has always been a gap in how media on both sides of the former Iron Curtain have reported world events, and it’s growing as the crisis in Ukraine escalates. It has become increasingly difficult to obtain reliable information from any side — west, east, or further east — about what is going on in Eastern Ukraine.
While powerful propaganda machines fill the public space with smoke and mirrors, one of the few facts that can be positively established in Eastern Ukraine is that the body count is steadily growing: a testament of just how easy it is for self-interested foreign powers to start, either intentionally or recklessly, a civil war in the heart of Europe. Continuing coverage is available at this link and this link.

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Fukushima, Japan Disaster Worsens and Spreads

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While the American reactor industry continues to suck billions of dollars from the public treasury, its allies in the corporate media seem increasingly hesitant to cover the news of post-Fukushima Japan. Continuing coverage is available at this link, this link, and this link.

My Blog Fights Climate Change

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Paul Krugman:

I don’t think many people grasp just how raw, how explicit, the corruption of our institutions has become.

Yesterday I had a conversation with someone who, like me, spent most of the Bush years as a voice in the wilderness. And he pointed out something remarkable: although those of us who said the obvious — that the Bush administration was fundamentally monstrous — were ridiculed by all the respectable people at the time, at this point our narrative has become everyone’s narrative.

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Paul Craig Roberts:

_________________ US Media
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"Anyone who depends on print, TV, or right-wing talk radio media is totally misinformed. The Bush administration has achieved a de facto Ministry of Propaganda."

"The uniformity of the US media has become much more complete since the days of the cold war. During the 1990s, the US government permitted an unconscionable concentration of print and broadcast media that terminated the independence of the media.

Today the US media is owned by 5 giant companies in which pro-Zionist Jews have disproportionate influence. More importantly, the values of the conglomerates reside in the broadcast licenses, which are granted by the government, and the corporations are run by corporate executives — not by journalists — whose eyes are on advertising revenues and the avoidance of controversy that might produce boycotts or upset advertisers and subscribers.

Americans who rely on the totally corrupt corporate media have no idea what is happening anywhere on earth, much less at home."

_________________ War On Terror
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Roberts asked "Is the War on Terror a Hoax", and claims it has "killed, maimed, dislocated, and made widows and orphans of millions of Muslims in six countries". Roberts called the attacks "naked aggression" on civilian populations and infrastructure which constitute war crimes.

_________________ Republican Party
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Roberts is seriously dismayed by what he considers the Republican Party's disregard for the U.S. Constitution. He has even voiced his regret that he ever worked for it, avowing that, had he known what it would become, he would never have contributed to the Reagan Revolution.

_________________ American Democracy and Oligarchy
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Roberts has been increasingly critical of what he deems as the lessening of democracy in the U.S.; instead accusing it of being run by oligarchs by stating:

"The west prides itself that it is the standard for the world, that it is a democracy. But nowhere do you see democratic outcomes: not in Greece, not in Ireland, not in the UK, not here, the outcomes are always to punish the innocent and reward the guilty.

And that's what the Greeks are in the streets protesting. We see this all over the west. There is no democracy, there are oligarchies, some of these smaller European countries are not even run by their own governments, they are run by Wall Street... There is probably more democracy in China than there is in the west.

Revolution is the only answer... We are confronted with a curious situation. Throughout the west we think we have democracy, we hold ourselves up high, we demonize China, we talk about the mafia state of Russia, we talk about the Arabs and so on, but where is the democracy here?"

_________________ Farewell Speech
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"Truth Has Fallen and Taken Liberty With It,"

Roberts effectively announced his journalistic retirement. The article, published at Counterpunch.org, begins:

"There was a time when the pen was mightier than the sword. That was a time when people believed in truth and regarded truth as an independent power and not as an auxiliary for government, class, race, ideological, personal, or financial interest."

It proceeds to a bitter chronicle of the demise of American intellectual integrity, particularly that of financial journalists and economists. These have been thoroughly corrupted by monetary inducements to misrepresent and ignore what has been, in effect, the systematic dismantling of the nation's productive life, in the name of globalization.

He holds the members of his own journalistic profession largely responsible for abetting relentless outsourcing of American industry, thereby gutting the American middle class and effectively dooming the nation's future.

He describes his own ostracism from mainstream media access, the consequence of his relentless and unflinching criticism of the demolition process over the past decade. His column ends, "The militarism of the U.S. and Israeli states, and Wall Street and corporate greed, will now run their course. As the pen is censored and its might extinguished, I am signing off."

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Liberal?

"If by a 'Liberal' they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people — their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties — someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a “Liberal,” then I’m proud to say I’m a “Liberal."

John F. Kennedy, 1960

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Citizen's United

"[T]his Court now concludes that independent expenditures, including those made by corporations, do not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption. That speakers may have influence over or access to elected officials does not mean that those officials are corrupt. And the appearance of influence or access will not cause the electorate to lose faith in this democracy."

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Do you need any more insight into how easy it is to fool ignorant Americans (who constitute a much larger part of the voting population than anyone would care to believe)?

What I enjoy most from the article below is the commenters who are still incredulous that the Conservatives haven't learned anything about governing from their errors. As if they were "governing." Instead of getting rid of governing.

I sometimes wonder if any of these Republicans could watch the entire movie, "Schindler's List," without noticing themselves in the crowd of gunmen.

From the Paul Krugmanarticle "A Heckuva Job: Political Poseurs and Their Katrina Moment:"

"[Interestingly] in modern America, cults of personality built around undeserving politicians seem to be a Republican thing.

True, some liberals were starry-eyed about Mr. Obama but the glitter faded fast, and what was left was a competent leader with some big achievements under his belt – [like] the drop in the number of Americans without health insurance.

[Now] both the Republican establishment and the punditocracy have been shocked by Mr. Trump’s continuing appeal to the party’s base. He’s ludicrous; his policy proposals are unworkable - don’t people realize the difference between actual leadership and being a star on reality TV?

And while Mr. Trump doesn’t exude presidential dignity, he’s seeking the nomination of a party that once considered it a great idea to put George W. Bush in a flight suit and have him land on an aircraft carrier.

[So] predicting Mr. Trump’s imminent political demise is ignoring the lessons of recent history - poseurs with a knack for public relations can con the public for a very long time. Someday The Donald will have his Katrina moment, when voters see him for who he really is. But don’t count on it happening any time soon.”

Thank you, Mr. Krugman. Seriously, can anyone think of a Rep. candidate who could again, seriously govern this country? All the Rep. governors have left their states in terrible financial trouble. While the national debt is huge, at least Obama has the sense to realize that nations and households cannot be run by the same fiscal rules. Thank God! Think of Kansas, folks and be very grateful for that fact. Trump wants to give governing a try, but can anyone see him dealing with the premier of China? I think it's no accident that our last Rep. president who could govern was H.W. Bush. His son was a disaster; I also suspect that the great god Reagan did more delegating than governing. I foresee a Dem president in 2016 simply because enough people know there are few, if any, Reps. capable of coping with a govt. as big as the U.S. govt. I say again, can anyone who thinks the rich shouldn't be taxed, that the working class shouldn't be given a living wage, that Dems.,or those likely to vote Dem., should not be allowed to vote, that abortion and birth control are immoral and that Creationism belongs in a 21st cent. school curriculum, has no place in govt. at any level.

My most startling "Katrina moment" was actually reading on the BBC that Dimwits of the Shrub die-Nasty had the utter, obviously narcissistic GALL to visit the Crescent City on the tenth anniversary of Katrina to "celebrate" he and his apology for an administration's utter failure to do anything but call in their personal Praetorian Guard, the then named, fully-armed bunch of highly-paid thugs from the scum of death squads around the world, Blackwater who sought out whom they might devour from the desperate populace not sent off to tent cities in a Huston football arena or living under freeway underpasses. All this whilst they were hubristically and high-handedly brushing aside the despised Cuba's offer of free, qualified Medical help!
Of course if they were White, they were "Foraging", if black, "Looting"!
The dumb bastard's presence may explain a small portion of the almost incredible fact (to normal, thinking people at least) of the Jebberwocky's similar gall in becoming a presidential wannabe. As his mom, bonnie wee Barbara declaring "Why, these people are better off now, so why should I trouble my beautiful mind about them?" or words pretty close to that effect.
Incidentally, where was Rughead Trump with all his much-vaunted Billions at that time of real need? Buying or building Golf resorts I'll bet!

As an appetizer, the Bush Administration gave us 9/11, despite numerous strong warnings from Bill Clinton, Hart-Rudman report, Richard Clark, and a CIA report a month before the event, a month Bush spent on Vacation.

Hitler and Tojo never got closer than Hawaii to attacking the US but under Bush a man living in a cave in the poorest country in the world succeeded, spectacularly.

The city of New Orleans was wiped out, but it's worth pointing out that under Bush 3 American cities were devastated - Manhattan, New Orleans and Detroit. Thats a heckava trifecta Bushie.

For the main course, they lied the nation into an unnecessary war that spawned Isis. As a garnish they let Bin Laden get away.

For dessert Bush gave us the collapse of the financial system and for a post dessert cordial major economic implosion and job losses on the order of 800,000 a month and the near collapse of global civilization from which we are still recovering.

After all that, the GOP hasn't changed its policy preferences, they still hate and want to undermine the effectiveness of government, to cut taxes and deregulate, they still prefer supply side bias policies.

Why would any person in their right mind want republicans in government? Their policy prescriptions are complete failures and their candidates are destructive clowns. They have proven that they are more dangerous to our way of life that the terrorists, in fact by disenabling government, they enable terrorists.

The Republican Party can no longer be distinguished from its propaganda machine, without which it would collapse, wither and die. Honesty is impossible for a party committed to enriching and empowering the richest sliver of American life and doing so by endlessly redistributing wealth and income out of lower and middle income groups. After a while, say thirty-five years, even the dullest of their "low information" voter base are starting to notice who is getting rolled here; who the losers are. Surprise, sucker, it's you. Enter Donald Trump, reality television star and pitch-man, who doubles down on the trash talk which is the mother's milk of all Republican politics.Don't expect an outbreak of sanity and honesty to break out from this hopelessly degenerated political party, from Trump or the rest. All you should expect are more tough-guy talk, more scapegoating, more none-too-subtle racist dog-whistles, more Reagan mythologizing, more fake scandals, more zombie/voodoo economic fakery, more talk about walls, less about bridges. This is a party addicted to its own lying, and it won't be changing because of, or in spite of, one grand-standing Know-Nothing buffoon. The only real question is whether or not the Republican Party death spiral takes the country down with it. It very well might.

Your expression "poseurs with a knack for public relations" reminded me of the description of Ronald Reagan's career in Rick Perlstein's The Invisible Bridge. Before I read Mr. Perlstein's work, I always wondered how this not-smart-enough-to-be-president guy managed to get to the White House. Now I understand. From his college days, Mr. Reagan focused on public relations to the exclusion of just about everything else. He was extremely good at p.r., and, consequently, he not only got to be president, but continues to be regarded by conservatives as a terrific role model. This in spite of his having driven the country into unprecedented debt, having inspired cuts in public support for education that currently result in massive personal debts for middle class students, and having shifted both tax rates and general attitudes in a way that benefits the 1% while hurting the rest of us economically. To me he is modern America's most successful "poseur with a knack for public relations."

We are a childish people. We love our P.T. Barnums and Elmer Gantrys, don't we? Create a composite GOP candidate, and you find a bizarre creature that is dealing three card Monte with one hand and pounding a Bible with the other. Let's hope that the people never learn - again! - that the taste of the bait is hardly worth the pain of the hook.

I wonder if the appeal of really dumb candidates stems from the poor education many Americans have. I don't mean that the schools aren't working - I mean that so many people seem proud of no education. I lived much of my life in a college town so I thought the world appreciated education and intelligence. Now I live in a very small town and people resent the college educated. They're more concerned with their children having fun than they are in what they learn. There is a huge anti-education, anti-science, anti-critical thinking in the this country and I believe this is why so many love candidates who say foolish things.

From a privileged drunk frat-boy, George posed as a member the Texas Air National Guard ... to avoid serving in Vietnam.

Next George posed as an oil businessman (underwritten by his daddy's wealthy friends) ... all disasters ending with a strong smell of corruption.

George followed his business failures up by borrowing money to purchase an interest in the Texas Rangers so he could pose as an owner.

Skipping ahead we find George posing as the 43rd president of the United States ... after his little brother Jeb! suppressed votes in Florida and his father's friends on the Supreme Court ordained him.

George posed as president for 8 painful years - painful to working Americans. During that time George was busy mostly taking vacations. George's big posing moments were: looking like a deer caught in headlights while the twin towers were collapsing; landing on an aircraft carrier to declare mission accomplished while Americans continued long after to die; George looking out a window while flying over New Orleans - later declaring Brownie did a heck of a job; George hiding in the White House as the economy collapsed and the world's financial markets went into a tailspin.

George is but one poseur that Republicans call leaders. Their current field of fools are all giving us their best poses in an attempt to fool the American public into believing they are presidential. Fool me once shame on you ... fool me twice shame on America.

Bush showing up in NO ten years after a disaster that he mishandled which killed 1800 people is just one more reason to know that he was the worst president in US history - stupid, clueless, and incredibly totally unaware of how many disgusting images he gave us over the years. From the "fly by" of NO, to the bullhorn on the debris of WTC which his negligent administration allowed to happen, to his appearance on an aircraft carrier in a flight suit with the huge "Mission Accomplished" sign behind him, he has insulted us. We all knew that he'd ducked the Vietnam war and was AWOL from his "service" in the Texas Air National Guard and still he had the guts to "pretend" and wear the uniform of men who really were fighting in Iraq and dying in the war he his neocon buddies and his Dracula VP cooked up. He's a disgrace and if he had an iota of awareness, he'd have sat in his Houston cave on the ten-year anniversary date of when he allowed NO to drown.

At a much-ballyhooed rally in Alabama — practically the buckle of the Bible Belt — Trump began integrating a pro-Evangelical message into his stump speech. The hook? Trump said the Bible is the best book ever written. In fact, it’s even better than his own book, “The Art Of The Deal.” Next up? He’ll host a bevy of televangelists for a media-friendly confab at the Trump Tower. They will focus on the reasons why God wants you to be rich and, therefore, why Trump is a-okay with the Almighty.

There is a certain irony to American politicians debating the Iran Nuclear Deal while the US is simultaneously building the most expensive and technologically advanced nuclear weapon in human history. Engineers working at Sandia National Laboratories have developed the B61-12 nuclear weapon. Unlike typical “free-fall” gravity bombs, it’s a guided nuclear bomb with "dial-a-yield" technology that allows its explosive force to be adjusted from anywhere between 50,000 tons of TNT to a low yield of “just” 300 tons. Thus far, no word on whether Iranian inspectors will be allowed “anytime, anywhere” access to the program.

Cheap and effective energy storage has been a missing link between renewable energy and its viability as a significant, if not deadly, challenge to hydrocarbon-fueled electricity. But that may be about to change. High efficiency batteries are moving out of the lab and into production at gigafactories. And the storage business has become a $33 billion global industry that generates nearly 100 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year. This rapid growth could fuel a “democratization” of power that allows anyone to capture wind and solar energy, store it for long periods and, eventually, unplug from the hydrocarbon monopoly.

He recently told a group of Iowa conservatives that he’s never asked God for forgiveness, he referred to communion as “my little wine” and “my little cracker,” and he refused to tell one reporter what his favorite Bible verse was and whether he preferred the Old or New Testament.

But while Trump’s comments may sound tone-deaf and stilted to some audiences, there’s one Christian subculture where he fits right in: televangelists.

The real estate mogul will huddle next month with a group of of hair-teasing, microphone-toting, prosperity-promising prophets of the quick buck. Though the meeting isn’t officially billed as a campaign event, it’s widely reported as part of an effort on Trump’s part to reach the faithful (and, in this case, the gullible).

And it suits him.

Trump palling around the televangelist world of get-rich-quick promises, multiple marriages, and questionable coiffures is, well, perfect. His decision to host these leaders at Trump Tower in Manhattan suggests he may see faith the way he sees other endeavors: as a way to lure big audiences with glitzy promises that are less than reality-based. Much like his outreach to the more mainstream evangelical community, he’s been connected with the televangelist set for quite a while.

"The Wall Street Journal" broke the news of the meeting, reporting that Trump is huddling with “a group of Evangelical Christian leaders at his office” on September 28. The event is being arranged by no run-of-the-mill evangelical, though; its reported host is televangelist Paula White.

And attendees got their invites from a public relations expert who specializes in boosting televangelists’ profiles. Sheila Withum of Withum & Co. Media Ministry Development Consultants, who sent out the invitations last week, told "The Daily Beast" her group has been representing televangelists for about 30 years—managing their public relations, helping them get airtime, and helping produce broadcasts.

White, who hosts a TV show called Paula White Today on The Word Network and pastors New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka, Florida, is one of the most prominent and controversial televangelists on the tube, drawing massive audiences and a congressional investigation. She took the helm at that church after its former shepherd died of a heroin and cocaine overdose.

Trump and White have been friends for years, which makes sense because they have a lot in common. In addition to having their own popular TV shows, they’re on their third marriage—Trump’s to former model Melania Trump, and White’s to the keyboardist for Journey.

Trump has been a guest on her programming numerous times, and they seem to be big fans of each other. He’s called her “a beautiful person, both inside and out,” and recommended that viewers read her book You’re All That: Understanding God’s Design For Your Life so they would “be ready for great success.” White has compared him to “a diamond that reveals a new facet each time it is turned in the light,” according to "The Tampa Tribune."

Preach, Paula.

“Pastor Paula White will explain why God wants you to be wealthy,” said a press release for the event, which also promised Trump would teach attendees how to get and stay rich.

White, like Trump, is also a big fan of cash. She’s typically characterized as a proponent of the prosperity gospel — a theologically suspect approach to Christianity whereby pastors (often before huge congregations or on TV broadcasts) tell listeners that God wants them to become very wealthy, and that if they just give “a seed” to said pastors’ ministries, they’ll reap great financial returns and be blessed.

White’s e-store features a sermon called “Why God Wants You Wealthy.” Of course, Donald Trump wants people to be rich as well, which is why White once offered her viewers — for a ministry contribution of $25 — a copy of Trump’s book Why We Want You to Be Rich. Everyone wants you to be rich! Praise the Lord!

White’s website has all sorts of interesting deals. One (your correspondent’s personal favorite) is called the “2015 Atonement Package.” The would-be atoned receive a special CD and booklet, as well as “a beautiful miniature ornate Ark of the Covenant” and a banner with Psalm 91:4 written on it. All those goodies will be yours if you “sow a prophetic ‘COVER AND SHIELD’ seed offering of $914.”

The two TV stars are quite public with their shared affinity for money. In 2007, they both appeared at a “Real Estate and Wealth Expo” in Atlanta.

“Pastor Paula White will explain why God wants you to be wealthy,” said a press release for the event, which also promised that Trump would teach attendees how to get and stay rich.

White’s shady ministering attracted the attention of the U.S. Senate in 2007. That year, Senator Chuck Grassley started a three-year investigation into six televangelism ministries, including White and "Daily Beast" favorite Creflo Dollar.

None of the ministries investigated faced penalties or sanctions.

A second ministry that faced Grassley’s scrutiny will have a face at the meeting with Trump next month. Benny Hinn, a prominent prosperity-gospel televangelist, also was named in that investigation. And he was named on the Trump invite.

“Due to previous travel commitments, Pastor Benny Hinn is unable to personally attend; however, a senior representative of his ministry will be present,” said Ronn Torossian, a spokesman for Benny Hinn Ministries.

It might have been awkward if Hinn attended. He and White caused quite a hubbub in 2010 when paparazzi photographed the the two TV preachers walking through Rome hand-in-hand — despite the fact that he was married to someone else at the time. Hinn insisted the two had not known each other biblically.

“A friendship did develop,” he said after the news broke, according to "Charisma Magazine". “Hear this: No immorality whatsoever. These people out there are making it sound like we had an affair. That’s a lie.”

He did ask his congregation for forgiveness, though, and said he told White they couldn’t be friends anymore.

This meeting could end up feeling more like a reunion than anything else. Darrell Scott, a pastor from Cleveland who has a congregation of 5,000 as well as a TV ministry, will also be among Trump’s visitors on September 28.

It won’t be his first time meeting the mogul. Scott said he met with Trump at Trump Towers four years ago, along with his wife and two other ministers. He said they prayed for Trump and that he was impressed with Trump’s humility.

“He humbled himself to the prayer,” Scott told "The Daily Beast". “When I say he put himself in a position of humility, he did. And he didn’t have to do it. He was no different from anyone else that we prayed for in any of our churches on any Sunday.”

“He was in agreement with the prayer and he said ‘Amen’ like we did at the end,” Scott added.

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Oscar Wilde

"I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their good intellects. A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies."
Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1891

Harold Pinter

It never happened. Nothing ever happened. Even while it was happening it wasn’t happening. It didn’t matter. It was of no interest. The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless... while masquerading as a force for universal good. It’s a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis.

Chickenhawks Galore

Peace

"A man of peace is not a pacifist; a man of peace is simply a pool of silence. He pulsates a new kind of energy into the world, he sings a new song. He lives in a totally new way his very way of live is that of grace, that of prayer, that of compassion. Whomsoever he touches, he creates more love-energy. The man of peace is creative. He is not against war, because to be against anything is to be at war. He is not against war; he simply understands why war exists. And out of that understanding he becomes peaceful. Only when there are many people who are pools of peace, silence, understanding, will the war disappear."